Braised Chicken With Oaxacan Mole Recipes

PAN-FRIED MOLE CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Season chicken thighs well with ½ teaspoon salt (add more to taste), pepper, and garlic granules. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add chicken thighs skin-side down and cook undisturbed until nicely browned, about 5-6 minutes. Flip and brown the other side, about 4-5 minutes more. Transfer to plate and set aside.
• Pour the fat oil from the pot (but keep all the brown bits). Add tomato sauce and stir until pot has been deglazed. Add mole paste and stir until dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. Add broth and season with remaining salt and sugar. Stir until the mole sauce has thickened, about 5-7 more minutes. Add back in the chicken and bring to a slow simmer. Cover and allow the chicken to finish cooking through, about 15 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with rice on the side, if desired.
• You will have some mole left over. Freeze leftover mole sauce for up to three months or seven days in your freezer.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH OAXACAN MOLE

Steps:

• Wash the chile, remove stem and seeds. Place in a medium bowl and cover with warm water. Let stand for 30 minutes. While chile is soaking, add the sesame seeds and spices to a large skillet and toast over moderately low heat, stirring until fragrant. Place toasted mixture in a grinder and process to a fine powder. Set aside.
• In the same skillet add in 1 tablespoon oil and warm slightly. Stir in raisins, almonds and tortilla. Cook over low heat until almonds are toasted and raisins plump. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook, turning frequently until skins are blistered on all sides. Transfer to a bowl. Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring until lightly browned taking care not to burn the garlic. Place contents in a blender or food processor container and lightly chop.
• Add a tablespoon of oil to skillet, stir in chopped vegetables and spice mix. Cover over medium heat until warmed through. Drain the chiles and add along with chicken stock. Partially cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 1 hour. Remove from heat, add in chocolate and process in a blender in batches or using stick blender process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet warm 2 tablespoons of oil and in batches if necessary brown chicken over high heat, turning as needed to brown all sides. Place browned chicken in oven proof dish, pour prepared mole over all. Cover and bake in preheated oven until chicken is cooked through, approximately 1 hour. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with additional sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro.
• Note: The mole can be prepared ahead of time and frozen in 2 cup portions. Defrost in refrigerator and warm before pouring over browned chicken. Bake chicken and mole as directed.

OAXACAN CHICKEN MOLE

Steps:

• Using 1 tsp of the chili powder, season the breasts, along with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a heavy skillet that comfortably holds both breasts, heat the oil over mediium-high heat and cook the chicken until brown on both sides (about 2 minutes per side); transfer cooked chicken to a plate and add the remaining chili powder, along with the cumin and cinnamon, to the skillet and saute, stirring, for 15 seconds.
• Stir in the tomatoes and their juices along with the chocolate and simmer until the sauce thickens up, about 5 minutes.
• Add chicken, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate, back into the skillet and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes.
• Taste sauce; add salt and pepper if desired.